Gorgon’s jaw flexed. “They want a case, so we’ll give them one.”
“Not how we usually play it,” Buck countered.
“This isn’t a usual situation,” Gorgon insisted, because Kimi wasn’t a usual problem. She wasn’t something to fix, or move, or eliminate. She was—his, and that thought hit hard and settled deeper than he liked, but it didn’t change anything.
“Get the boys ready,” he said to the men standing around him. “We move at dusk.” He turned and walked to the clubhouse. Inside, the place was quieter than it should’ve been. It was almost like the old building seemed to know and was waiting for whatever came next.
Gorgon found Kimi where he expected—by the window in her room, watching the storm like it might give her answers. “Kimi,” he breathed. She turned to face him, no fear in her eyes now. That alone told him everything had already shifted between them.
“You’re going after him,” she said. It wasn’t a question. Gorgon nodded. Her throat moved as she swallowed. “Then I’m coming with you.”
“No,” he breathed. The word came fast and final.
Her chin lifted. “You don’t get to decide that for me.”
“I do when it could possibly get you killed,” he spat.
“It’s my life,” she hissed, sounding like a petulant child.
“And if you’re with me, it will become my problem when you’re standing in the middle of a firefight. That will only put my men and me in danger. You’re not coming,” he said again, this time with a bit more heat.
Her eyes flashed. “This is happening because of me, so I should be there.”
“No,” he said, stepping closer. “It’s happening because Cole doesn’t know when to stop.”
“And I do?” she shot back. “Because last I checked, I’m the one who’s been running from this.”
“And you’re done running.” The words landed heavily between them.
She stared at him. “You don’t get to make that call for me.” He stepped closer still, close enough that he could see the fight in her, and the fear under it, along with the strength that hadn’t broken no matter what she’d been through.
“I already made that call, honey,” he said quietly. Her breath caught. He was in dangerous territory, and he knew it, but he didn’t step back from her. He could see it in her eyes, though. If he left her behind, she’d find a way to get to him. There was no way that Kimi would miss out on this fight, and leaving her to her own devices wouldn’t end well for any of them.
Gorgon sighed, realizing what he had to do. It didn’t mean that he had to like it, though. “If you walk into that storm with me,” he continued, voice low and controlled, “you don’t hesitate. You don’t second-guess my orders. You stay where I put you.”
“I’m not one of your men,” she reminded.
“No,” he said. “You’re not.” Something shifted in her expression. “Which is why if it goes bad,” he added, “I won’t choose my club. I’d choose you.” Silence filled the room as she stood in front of him, seeming stunned by his admission.
Her voice dropped. “You’re their president.” He nodded.
“And you’re my woman,” he quickly added. That was the truth of it—raw, unfiltered, and unavoidable. He’d kill for her because without Kimi, he would no longer be himself. In such a short time, she had become his world, and he’d burn the entire place down to save her.
“You can’t do that,” she said.
His gaze locked on hers. “Watch me.”
Cole’s compound wasn’t hard to find. Kimi gave him exact directions, and they rolled right in through the front gate. Cole didn’t hide, but men like him didn’t believe they had to. He didn’t look surprised to see them either—almost as though he was expecting them.
Gorgon parked just outside the tree line and jumped out of his truck, the snow crunching under his boots as his eyes locked on the building ahead. The lights were on, and men were moving like rats trying to abandon ship before it sank. Gorgon’s men were in place—a well-oiled machine, ready for his command. He planned to make sure that he got every one of them out of there alive, even if it cost him his life. There was no way that he’d sacrifice his men or Kimi and live to talk about it.
He turned back to Kimi as she started to climb out of the truck behind him. “Stay put,” he ordered. She had agreed to do as he said, but from the look on her face, she wasn’t happy about his demand.
“But I—” she started. He shook his head at her, and she climbed back into her seat. Gorgon shut the door while she continued to mean mug him. If they weren’t about to go to war, he’d find the entire scene funny.
He quickly found Buck in the tall brush, and the rest of his men around them. “What’s the word?” Gorgon asked.
“See for yourself,” Buck insisted, handing him the binoculars. He quickly looked the site over as Buck gave the men orders.
